


Muggle Movements

by selenaquana



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: But not out the gate, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Daily Prophet, Eventual kind-of-plot, Journalism, Looking for topics, Muggle Culture, Muggle Life, Muggle Studies, Muggle Technology, Muggle/Wizard Relations, News Media, Newspapers, Wizarding Culture (Harry Potter), Wizarding Traditions (Harry Potter), Wizarding World (Harry Potter), Wizarding World Bashing (Harry Potter), Wizards, kind-of-Crack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 7,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23332786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selenaquana/pseuds/selenaquana
Summary: Isa Stevens is fed up with wixen and their racism. Isa hates it every time a coworker cant pronounce electricity. Isa is done putting up with it.All she has to do is secure her article as a staple, so that the DP cant replace her or discontinue it. And then she's going to take apart the magic-centric worldview. One article at a time.------I need topic ideas for Isa! Feel free to submit any you may have!
Comments: 39
Kudos: 131





	1. Muggle Movements

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

Greetings wixen! Due to current events, the Daily Prophet has seen fit to introduce this new article series, _Muggle Movements_. The purpose of this series is to dive into whatever parts of muggle culture readers desire! We intend to do so both by answering reader questions that can be mailed in to _Muggle Movements_ at _The Daily Prophet_ , and all questions will be considered for this article. If the asker does not give express permission for a name to be used in the article, then the question will be marked as anonymous. 

This series is in response to a number of Statute of Secrecy infractions in recent weeks (See pages five and six), particularly the hedgehog incident. These incidents, ranging from social gaffs on the part of wixen to all out assault, have caused the Ministry’s Office of Muggle Affairs to do an audit of Muggle Studies curriculum. Such audits typically happen every decade, however, it was revealed that such audits have recommended an overhaul of the Muggle Studies curriculum for over a century. Unfortunately, terrorist elements in our Ministry suppressed this information. Investigations reveal this was in order to create more cultural distance between the core of wizarding society and the muggle-raised students, widening the gap that Voldemort’s rhetoric depended upon to maintain his forces. This resulted in entire generations entirely uninformed about the realities of muggles, their society, and their life, and have caused numerous breaches of the statute of secrecy, both major and minor. 

While the muggle studies curriculum is being comprehensively reformed at the school level, there remains the fact that most adult wixen are unsure about muggle environments at best, and unknowingly putting the SoS in critical danger on a regular basis at worst. Further, it creates rifts within our own community that allow deplorable movements such as the Death Eaters to take root and terrorize our fine citizens. 

Therefore, it is not only from the interest of making up for the harm caused by the followers of Voldemort that still ring true in our society, but from an interest of ensuring such unconscionable movements never take root in our society again. 

This article will be run on a regular basis in order to help bridge this gap and repair the damage done by a century of misinformation. Currently, we look to publish this article with our Saturday edition, although the production of this series may be lessened or increased depending upon public interest and research times. 

I look forward to hearing the kinds of questions wixen would like answered!


	2. 11th November 2000

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Spencer Burton asks; **The Muggle Studies and related curriculum is only out-of-date by about a century. It takes that long to get a new potion approved for public use! How could the muggles have changed so much without even magic that this would be a problem?**_

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

_Spencer Burton asks; **The Muggle Studies and related curriculum is only out-of-date by about a century. It takes that long to get a new potion approved for public use! How could the muggles have changed so much without even magic that this would be a problem?**_

This is one of the most common questions I’ve received since the announcement of this series. I’m going to break this down piece by piece.

You are correct, the Muggle Studies curriculum has only been static for a century. That is less than the lifespan of most wixen! However, this is longer than the expected lifespan of most muggles (reaching a century is considered highly unusual by their standards). In addition, muggle culture views generational divides differently than we wixen tend to. 

Wixen tend to live in households of at least three generations, when possible. This allows the grandparents to oversee and guide their children through at least the initial steps of childrearing, and to be a fallback set of caregivers should the parents be incapacitated. 

Muggles, by contrast, tend to move from their parents’ homes earlier, some as young as sixteen, and almost invariably live independent of their parents by the time they are married. Now, muggles do tend to marry later in life than wixen (the average age of marriage hovered around thirty years of age in 1993), but their severance from their parents happens much younger, as the process of attaining financial and social independence starts so early and is far less gradual. 

Now, what does this affect in our Muggle Studies curriculum? 

Because of this distinct severance between adults and their parents, each generation has to figure out things for themselves that we would never expect our children to face alone. 

This gives muggle adults more latitude in changing their behavior, standards, culture, and way of life, resulting in more severe and common changes in cultural norms.

Now, this has been the case for centuries (although the age of marriage and independence has fluctuated). And in past centuries, you would be correct, things would have been unlikely to change quite so drastically as they have in the current situation. 

The difference, however, comes in muggle science. Science is the idea that the universe can be explained by a distinct set of rules and mathematical equations. The word also indicates the act of so describing the world, and the classification of academic fields focused on such research. Muggles have had some variation of science for millennia, however, events over the last thousand years or so have caused science to act in a recursive loop, where each new bit of research alters muggle society, and those alterations in turn induce more scientific discoveries. To summarize; the muggles change so quickly that the state of the muggle world changes by the decade rather than every other century, as is the case amongst wixen.

So while, to use your example, it takes about a century to get a potion approved, it can take less than a year to get a muggle medical treatment approved for public use. And we all know what a change the dragon pox vaccination caused, imagine what it would be like for something like that to come about multiple times every year!

This changeable attitude is also reflected in muggle dress, speech, and social expectation, which are some of the main reasons wixen breaches of the SoS occur more and more often. Therefore, in order to properly maintain our anonymity, it is necessary for responsible wixen to ‘keep up with the times’, as it were. This series is intended to be one possible tool accessible by our fine public, so they may avoid the most common stumbling blocks and misunderstandings that could reveal us all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a week late! Because of current events, my access to AO3 is kind of finicky. So while I'll aim for bi-weekly for now, I may regularly be late on that. This also means I cant write for any of my other WIPs, so Isa's probably going to get center stage from me for the rest of the summer.


	3. 25th November 2000

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Kaleb asks; **You mentioned in your last article that muggle science changes every year. How can this be true? How could muggles discover anything about the human body or nature without understanding the magical forces behind it?**_

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

_Kaleb asks; **You mentioned in your last article that muggle science changes every year. How can this be true? How could muggles discover anything about the human body or nature without understanding the magical forces behind it?**_  
Thank you, Kaleb, for asking! The answer is complicated, but I will endeavor to try. 

First, to clarify, while your statement that muggle science changes on a yearly basis is correct, I believe a clarification on my last article is necessary. New medical treatments can be approved in a year, that does not mean science changes. Rather, every year the muggles’s knowledge of the world and how it operates gets refined. But it was individual medical treatments that I was referencing in the previous article. 

To answer the other part of your question briefly, magic is not the only force controlling the world around us and how it reacts. Muggles are missing that one rule, and like a puzzle where a tenth of the pieces are missing, it makes finishing the puzzle in its entirety impossible. However, even if the difficulty is increased, they can figure out a startling amount of the puzzle using the forces they can perceive, and thereby figure out the entire picture, even if the details of the missing pieces mean they lose some context for the entire puzzle. And, because they have to figure out how to work around the missing pieces, muggles have developed a number of strategies wizards do not possess in order to gather the most out of their incomplete puzzle.

For example; the intricate spells for examining the bodies of ill patients is beyond muggle abilities. So, muggle healers have a variety of tactics to make up for this lack.

One way muggle healers get an idea of what is going on in a person’s body is the use of a stethoscope. A stethoscope is a simple device that uses a small drum and tube in order to amplify sounds. The drum, which is perhaps two inches across, can be placed on the patient’s skin, and the end of the tube in the ear of the healer. So if the healer needs information on the patient’s heart, they place the drum on the chest as close to the heart as possible and listen. The speed of the heartbeats can give a wealth of information! Likewise, the stethoscope can be used to listen to the lungs for pneumonias, coughs, and various problems with breathing. 

Another device muggles use to look within the body is to use an ultrasound. It is common knowledge that some animals such as bats and dolphins navigate using echolocation, in witch they bounce sounds off of objects and use the echoes to see. And ultrasound is much the same; a small noisemaker sends sounds into the human body, and the sounds the body returns allows the doctor to generate an image of what is occurring inside the body. The sounds are below the normal range of hearing. This device is most commonly associated with doctors acquiring pictures of babies within the womb, before they are even born and without disturbing the child!

I hope that explanation clears things up a bit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Sorry for the hiatus, my access to posting and writing has been weird. I should be much more regular starting about a month from now, but until then, everyone stay safe!


	4. 9 December 2000

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Clarke asks; **I hear a lot about eckeltricity. What exactly is it?**_

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

_Clarke asks; **I hear a lot about eckeltricity. What exactly is it?**_

Hello Clarke!

To begin, the word you are thinking of is electricity (el-ec-TRIS-it-y). The word is commonly misspelled by wixen due to a typo in the Hogwarts textbook for Muggle Studies used in the 1800’s.

To explain electricity, we must explain some small amount of atomic theory. To summarize; all materials are made of a combination of protons, neutrons, and electrons, all of which are so small they cannot be seen with even the most extreme magnifying charms. How protons, neutrons and electrons are arranged determines a material’s properties. The number of protons in each proton/neutron cluster is what separates gold from silver, for example. A core part of transfiguration is manipulating the arrangement of protons and neutrons in order to alter a material.

Electricity is simply what happens when electrons (which store energy) flow in a consistent direction along something-most often a metal wire. You have likely seen electricity yourself, as when electricity flows from the sky to the ground, lightning is formed!

Now that we have a small idea of what electricity is, let’s talk about what it does. 

Because electricity is, in essence, energy, it can be used to power a number of devices. Think of it like how magical energy from ley lines can fuel wards. And like magic, electricity can be harnessed in order to make a person’s life easier. Electricity can flow through an object called a light bulb to give safe illumination. Electricity can be harnessed to make objects move. Electricity is what muggles use to power their radios (from which the Wizarding Wireless was derived).

It should be noted, however, that electricity is also dangerous. If the wires that contain electricity are exposed to fabric, for example, a fire can be started. And much like being struck by lightning can stop the heart, so can electricity. However, the electricity in most muggle homes is only enough to cause a small twinge of pain and perhaps some muscle cramps in the healthy adult. 

Despite the miniscule dangers, electricity has become an integral part of muggle life. This is in part because the advantages of using electricity far outweigh the risks. When electric lighting was introduced to New York City, for example, the number of fires went down significantly. This is because electrical lighting is less dangerous than gas or candle light. Electricity is used to run machines in hospitals that keep people alive. There are even cases where exposing a person to a small amount of electricity is medically beneficial! One device, called a pacemaker, is a small machine that is connected to a person’s heart to apply regular bursts of electricity and prevent heart attacks. 

Those wixen who have spent time in the muggle world will note that electricity does not interact well with magic. This is because the magical field we naturally produce and manipulate to cast can disrupt the flow of electrons. This can cause a variety of affects, including electrical overloads that can cause fires, and the destruction of electrical devices. There are experimental ward schemes that can prevent this effect, but they have yet to be approved by the Ministry.

I hope that answers your question!


	5. 23 December 2000

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _D. M. asks; **Why do Muggles insist on using dangerous flight methods like helicopters? Especially in areas where wizards live? Shouldn’t the wards keep them out?**_

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

_D. M. asks; **Why do Muggles insist on using dangerous flight methods like helicopters? Especially in areas where wizards live? Shouldn’t the wards keep them out?**_

Thank you for mailing in!

Helicopters are one of the methods Muggles use to fly. Other methods include airplanes, hot air balloons, blimps and rockets. Each method has strengths and weaknesses that lend themselves towards particular purposes. 

Helicopters have the ability to fly at speeds faster than air balloons or blimps, but unlike airplanes and rockets, a helicopter can hover. A helicopter is also more maneuverable than any of the other main options for flight. Because of this, they have applications in combat, personal transport, emergency response, and monitoring large areas of land. 

On the topic of why Muggles rely on such methods; it is what they have! Muggles have no portkeys, no apparition, and no floo powder, so they must find alternative means of transport. Airplanes are preferred to transport large numbers of people across long distances, and small airplanes or helicopters can be used to access areas of the world that are inaccessible by ground. So while we would use portkeys for international travel or to travel to an isolated location, the muggles must travel there using their technology. 

Now, as to why helicopters are so common above the ancestral lands of wixen. Several centuries ago, when muggle land development threatened wixen territories, the government came to the compromise of making public parks. These parks provide a number of benefits to society, but they also help hide wixen lands within them. Because the larger parks are considered “wild” by the muggle community, wizard space can be folded within these areas with lower chances of being found. 

Because these parks are under the purview of the government, however, they must also be cared for. Helicopters are often used to survey these lands and look for anything amiss, be it damage, the movement of animals, lost people, etc. Furthermore, helicopters can be used to survey areas as part of scientific study. Using a helicopter allows scientists to gather data from a vast swath of areas in a short period of time. 

All of this leads to helicopter traffic over the parks, and in turn, the wizard space they conceal. 

As to the danger of muggle travel methods, the danger is relatively minor! Per flight, helicopters have a lower rate of injury than brooms do among wizarding communities. Part of this is because any muggles in the air are constantly using radios to keep in long-distance contact with each other and insure there are no collisions or accidents. So while helicopters are safe for hose flying by muggle methods, that isn’t true for those using wixen methods!

The Ministry advises any person on a broom place regular proximity charms and cast scanning charms for muggle transport either every ten minutes or ten kilometers. Should a muggle device share airspace, a flying wixen should immediately find a safe place to land, do so, and wait until the airspace is clear to continue travel, both for the safety of the wixen and muggles, as well as to protect the SoS.


	6. 6 January 2001

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Sam asks; **A muggle-raised friend’s mother is a pshchologist. She tried to explain what that means, but I still don’t understand.**_

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

_Sam asks; **A muggle-raised friend’s mother is a pshchologist. She tried to explain what that means, but I still don’t understand.**_

A psychologist is defined by Cambridge Dictionary as “someone who studies the human mind and human emotions and behavior, and how different situations have an effect on people”. This only gives us some of the picture.

As with many muggle jobs, psychologists are a work around for a number of problems we wixen solve by magical means. We wixen can learn about the mind using tactics such as legilemency, pensieves, and charms dependent on mental state, such as the Patronus. Muggles do not have these methods, and so, turned to science.

Psychologists can do a variety of things, and your question does not make clear which banner your friend’s parent falls under, so I will list some likely options. 

Clinical psychologists are the equivalent of what we call mind healers. They will treat people experiencing mental disability or stress. A clinical psychologist might treat a patient using talk therapy, where the psychologist helps walk the patient through their problems and treat their symptoms. They may also give the patient exercises to complete in order to change the way they think permanently, called “cognitive restructuring”. For example, if a patient needs practice being more mindful, the patient may stop every hour and say out loud what they are doing and why. 

Some psychologists act as researchers. Research topics can be varied. Some psychologists will research how gossip is transmitted, some research the reasons for addiction and how to treat it, and some may look into how the physical brain operates. Some may specialize in children, or adults, or even degenerative diseases.

There are also psychologists who work in the business world. If a company needs to develop an advertising campaign, they may hire a psychologist who specializes in how our brains react to different persuasion tactics. Psychologists have discovered that placing the advertisements for certain objects together makes it more likely for those advertisements to get attention, and that children tend to react to advertisements with bright colors, compered to adults. 

The work of psychologists has even gone on too assist in parenting. By researching the connection between different parenting methods and the outcomes for those children, and then distributing that information, psychologists allow parents to give their children as many advantages as possible for their education and future success. A large amount of research goes into how children learn, and a significant portion of clinical psychologists are dedicated to helping children have their best chance. 

To summarize, a psychologist is a specific kind of scientist who focuses on our minds, how we think, why we think the way we do, and how to alter a person’s mind to reach a desired outcome. Because they cannot use legilemency or pensieves to do this, they do so by employing various methods of communication, be that simple conversation, exercises and activities, or even the images a person sees. The work of psychologists can help children, adults and even pets!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick thanks for all the ideas people have been putting in the comments. I've been working my way through them, with more popular ideas getting bumped up my que. So if I haven't responded to your comment, that's probably because I'm saving the email so I remember all your ideas. Stay safe.


	7. 20 January 2001

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Anonymous Potion Seller asks; **As an avid astronomer and potion maker, I would like to request an article on Muggle Astronomy and/or space travel.**_

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

_Anonymous Potion Seller asks; **As an avid astronomer and potion maker, I would like to request an article on Muggle Astronomy and/or space travel.**_

Because this request has several parts, we will focus on astronomy this week, and will address space travel in our next article, followed by three more articles, which will discuss the moon landings in particular, Muggle plans for future advancements, and the information gathered by muggles in the course of their space flight. 

Muggle astronomy has deep roots in their culture. Astronomy was once considered on one of the few magical arts that muggles could study, prior to the Statute of Secrecy. Because of this, both worlds’ astronomy show significant overlap until the SOS. It is at this divergence that we see the truly fascinating work occur in the muggle world. I could write an entire book on any one of the topics here (but I am loath to retread work already done well) here is a brief overview of some of the accomplishments and discoveries that show deviation from wixen astronomy. The fundamental differences are twofold. Wizards can observe the universe directly through our enchanted telescopes, while muggles must create methods of observation either significantly more or less direct than ours, either by learning to observe using other methods, or by going to the objects they wish to study. Second, wixen are interested in the movements of celestial bodies because of their direct effect on magic an even our daily lives, while muggles are interested in the reason celestial bodies behave the way they do and their history. 

In 1609, Johannes Kepler published New Astronomy, containing a scientific explanation for planetary motion, and adjusting mathematical models of planetary motion to incorporate elliptical orbits rather than circular ones. This allows for significantly higher precision in predicting planetary motion. We wizards depend on circular planetary models, supplemented by adjustments by professional astronomers, published in many periodical publications (see page 23). 

In 1687, Isaac Newton published Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which helped found the scientific field of physics and explained the theory of gravity and laws of motion. To summarize, this work established theories that explain planetary motion, rather than just observing it and it’s affects. Research into these areas is ongoing even today, as every discovery uncovers more unexplained mysteries. 

In 1800, William Herschel split sunlight through a prism to measure energy of each color. When his thermometer (temperature detecting device) was placed beyond the red band, he discovered an increase in temperature, proving that there exists light beyond that which humans can see. It would eventually be discovered that some animals can, however, see this light, and there are methods by which humans may detect it. 

In 1814 Joseph von Fraunhofer designed the spectrometer, and his research eventually led to scientists identifying the elemental makeup of the sun. 

In 1916, Karl Schwarzschild proposed that when a star runs out of energy and collapses on itself, some stars will collapse into so small a space that they will warp the universe around them, creating a hole that nothing can escape from once it has entered, not even light or sound.

In 1929, Edwin Hubble discovered that stellar objects are all moving away from each other and the universe is expanding. This explains several phenomena magical astronomy has been struggling with for centuries, such as the loss of detail in our views of certain galaxies, even as our telescopes are improving. 

This timeline will be continued in two weeks, as we examine space flight.


	8. 2 February 2001

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this article we continue our examination of Muggle Astronomy.

In this article we continue our examination of Muggle Astronomy.

In 1957, the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched into orbit around the earth. It sent messages back to the earth for study. The second Sputnik was the first time a mammal was put into orbit, a dog named Laika.

In 1959, the first probes were sent to the Moon. In September of that year, Luna 3 sent the first pictures of the far side of the Moon ever recorded. Furthermore, humans managed to place an object rotating the sun, and first detected winds caused by the sun in the region beyond earth’s atmosphere. 

In 1961, the Earth was orbited for the first time by a human, who traveled beyond our planet and back in a man-made capsule to protect him from space. 

In 1965, a person in a protected suit took a ‘walk’ about outer space for the first time.

In 1966, we received the first photos ever taken of another world.

In 1968, a number of plants and animals were sent from earth, circled the moon, and returned.

In 1969, the first machine for the gathering of research was lowered to the surface of Venus. Eventually, it would be discovered that Venus is so inhospitable, no machine can survive there. 

In 1969, the first human in history walked upon the surface of the moon. The mission to the moon also returned a variety of samples of moon matter. 

In 1970, the first of a class of machine capable moving about another planet’s surface, called a rover, landed on the moon. We also received the first messages from another planet ever, Venus. 

In 1971, the first outpost for humans to survive and live in space was established and manned. We also received the first photograph from the Martian Surface. 

In 1972, we created and sent out the first object ever able to move away from the sun for eternity without stopping. We also sent a machine to examine the asteroid belt.

In 1975, the European Space Agency was created, in which dozens of countries including Britain co-operate to increase our capabilities to go beyond earth. 

In 1976, we received the first ever soil samples from another planet, Mars.

In 1979, a machine flying by Jupiter discovered volcanoes on Io. We also received our first ever photographs of Titan taken from beyond earth. 

In 1982, the first soil samples from Venus were retrieved, as well as the first ever sounds from another world heard by human ears. 

In 1986, the first ever machine to go past Uranus did so. We also received the first ever close up observations of a comet (from less than 600 km away)!

In 1990, we received the first ever photograph to encompass the entire solar system.

In 1992, we confirmed the first planet orbiting a star other than the sun.

In 1997, the first ever rover to reach another planet landed on Mars.

In 1998, the largest multinational space station was completed, the International Space Station, which operates to this day, and has been continuously inhabited by humans in space ever since.

In the next article, I will elaborate on some of the future plans in muggle astronomy.


	9. 16 February 2001

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Bronwyn Hillside asks; **Its terribly funny but my muggle born friend talks about a "moon-landing" as if it happened before her birth and is a known thing. Its well known muggles can't apparate or port key, so is this some weird myth? Was it a wixen prank gone large??.**_

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

_Bronwyn Hillside asks; **Its terribly funny but my muggle born friend talks about a "moon-landing" as if it happened before her birth and is a known thing. Its well known muggles can't apparate or portkey, so is this some weird myth? Was it a wixen prank gone large??.**_

Wixen often think that the moon landings must have been a hoax, as even wixen have never made it beyond the atmosphere. However, while the gut reaction to deny muggles could accomplish such things, in this case it leads one to the wrong conclusion. 

There are two main motivations for muggles going to the moon, both cultural. One was what is called the space race; two countries, the USSR (muggle countries inhabiting the similar territory to the Russo-Slavic Confederation of States) and the United States of America, challenged each other to see who could reach different goals first; getting a man-made object to space, getting a man-made object to the moon, getting a person to the moon, mars, etc. The second is the result of a phenomena that has gripped muggles ever since the SOS was implemented; science fiction.

Science fiction is a genre of art that centers around using muggle science to accomplish things wizards could once do with magic-at least, in the imagination of muggles just after the SOS. What is intriguing about science fiction is that many speculations about science fiction end up becoming reality. For example, when writers had the crazy idea that they could send a human to the moon, scientists decided to see if they actually could, and kept at it until they made it happen. 

Humans have been sent to space and as far as the moon using what are called rocket ships. These are essentially large metal containers with people strapped inside, with an excessive amount of explosive material strapped behind them. The launch of these ships is designed based on complex mathematical models describing the trajectory of the ship. 

Lunar missions generally would be carried out by three-man teams in a small lunar capsule. Travel to the moon and back would take approximately eight days, beginning with the explosive launch and ending with the capsule landing in the ocean. Due to muggle views at the time of the missions, women were considered inferior to men and were not allowed to partake in the missions beyond supporting roles. No woman has ever been to the moon. 

The first set of programs that got a human to the moon were the Apollo programs, run by the United States organization, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). There were seventeen flights running from 1961 to 1972, including two failures and one partial failure. Between six successful landings on the moon, twelve men were able to walk on the lunar surface. Other programs have gotten machines to the moon for research purposes, but only the NASA missions have gotten people to the moon. 

Evidence of these missions can be seen at the Science Museum in London. There is also a muggle ‘film’ or ‘movie’ about the failed Apollo 13 mission called ‘Apollo 13’, and a number of books that go into more detail, such as Carrying the Fire by Farrar, Straus and Giroux; A Man on the Moon, by Andrew Chaikin; and Moon Shot, by Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, with an introduction by Neil Armstrong (the first man to set foot on the moon).


	10. 2 March 2001

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of our series on muggle space travel.

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

This is a continuation of our series on muggle space travel. 

Muggle space agencies such as the National Air and Space Administration and the European Space Agency are currently attempting a number of missions to gather more information about the universe beyond our planet. 

NASA is currently attempting the NEAR Shoemaker mission, which should be the first ever case of a man-made object landing on an asteroid. This was accomplished by sending the NEAR Shoemaker, a metal and plastic device that orbited the Eros asteroid and collected data. It is likely to touch down on the asteroid in the coming months. 

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a collaboration between NASA, the ESA, and the Italian Space Agency, to send a space-traveling craft to orbit Saturn. The orbiter was launched in 1997, and should enter orbit around the planet in 2004. It has already flown by Venus in 1998 and a second time in 1999, passed earth again that same year, and passed Jupiter just last month. The plans for the mission call for the orbiter to collect data for the next four years. While the Cassini orbiter circles the planet, the Huygens lander will explore Titan. If successful, this will be the first time a man made object has ever successfully landed somewhere in the outer solar system. 

Later this year, the Genesis mission will be sent out to collect samples of the solar wind and return them to earth. The solar wind is the stream of particles produced and emitted by the sun, much of which is filtered by the atmosphere before it can hit earth. If successful, this will be the first time humans have ventured to collect material from beyond the moon and return it to earth, and will be the first time NASA will have collected material from space in nearly three decades. 

The MUSES-C mission is being planned by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. MUSES-C is being sent to orbit the asteroid Itokawa and send samples back to earth. The MUSES-C orbiter is also carrying a ‘mini-lander’ named MINERVA (and if any Hogwarts students choose to make jokes about that, do so at your own risk). MUSES-C is the first spacecraft designed to land and then take off from an asteroid. It should launch in 2005.

The most impressive feat of modern space flight, however, is the International Space Station, a permanently crewed metal and plastic ship that is designed to continually orbit the planet for decades. The first crew of three men were sent to inhabit the station in November, and there are multiple plans to add new laboratories to the station over time. 

These are only a few of the ongoing projects in space research. Other areas of current research include research into how to get aa human to Mars, and eventually, how to establish a colony there, how to create ships capable of housing humans for long-term travel, and other such innovations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was a tad late, stay safe!


	11. 16 March 2001

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final instalment of our series on muggle space travel.

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

This is the final instalment of our series on muggle space travel. 

Muggles have made a number of discoveries that wixen have not since the SOS separated our two worlds. 

Speaking of worlds, Muggles have discovered that there are, in fact, more planets in the universe than the seven+earth that we were taught in astronomy class. In 1995, a planet called 51 Pegasi B was discovered ’50 light years’ (nearly 3 hundred trillion miles) away, orbiting a star. The implications of this on astronomically-dependent magic have yet to be investigated.

A theory of particular significance to muggle astronomy is their explanation for the expansion of the universe (see our first article). This theory is called the ‘Big Bang’, and states that all of the universe, including time and space, began from a point smaller than anything we can conceive, which then exploded into the universe. The force of this ‘bang’ can still be observed, in how the universe itself is still expanding, as has been observed in our own astronomical research. The ‘Big Bang’ theory was proven in 1992, when scientists created a map of the ‘Cosmic Background Radiation’ (CBR), or the energy left over from that initial explosion that created the universe. Wixen have yet to research whether magic and CBR are related.

Another discovery was made by a man named Albert Einstein, who proposed that space and time act like a flat plane, that can be indented by gravity, meaning that how quickly time moves changes based on the amount of gravity an object experiences. For example, Mercury experiences time more slowly than Earth does. However, the speed an object travels at can also cause this ‘time dilation’, with faster objects experiencing time more slowly than slower-moving objects. A prime example of this is the International Space Station; while it is farther from earth’s center of gravity and should therefore experience time speeding up slightly compared to on earth, the ISS is in orbit and therefore moving fast enough to overcome this effect of gravity and surpass it. The men on the ISS experience .005 seconds less than those on earth do for every six months spent on the ISS. 

Observations continue to be made from the Hubble Space Telescope, which is a telescope that can generate pictures of the sky in much greater detail than even wixen telescopes, as it circumvents the distortions caused by earth’s atmosphere by circling the planet from space. Approximately 150 astronomical papers are published using the pictures Hubble generates every day. It is by far the most-used telescope in the world. 

Muggles have also discovered a number of objects wixen were already aware of, such as black holes, but muggles are notable for doing so without the ability to experiment with magic. Muggle telescope technology has far surpassed wixen tools in terms of the clarity of images, let alone the fact that muggles can take pictures of their observations, while wixen cannot. However, it should be noted that they also lack much of the information we poses, such as how muggles still believe Pluto is a full-fledged planet, and not a planetling. These and other misconceptions muggles hold on to must be taken into consideration when examining muggle astronomy.


	12. 30 March 2001

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _AllHail asks; **I've heard of Muggles doing surgery to the brain. Is this a torture method similar to the Renaissance Era's or is this a genuine medical breakthrough??**_

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

_AllHail asks; **I've heard of Muggles doing surgery to the brain. Is this a torture method similar to the Renaissance Era's or is this a genuine medical breakthrough??**_

Modern muggle medical practices actually share a quite a bit of history with wixen practices. Brain surgery was considered a viable medical option even before the SOS. In fact, a number of spell categories, such as illusion spells and certain general healing spells, were developed because advances in brain surgery made new information on the brain, nervous system, and ocular system possible in the renaissance era. The earliest identified evidence of brain surgery dates to 7000BC. Furthermore, a number of ancient ritual grounds have been found to contain runic inscriptions suggesting that this was a practice wixen and muggles would occasionally cooperate to perform. 

With all of that said, these early attempts at brain surgery faced a number of difficulties. For example, many sculls that endured ancient brain surgery practices were left with large holes. And, because access to those capable of performing these surgeries varied based on region, as did techniques, historical procedures are widely varied. 

All that said, the safety and availability of brain surgery have increased greatly in the modern age. Modern anesthetics help control the risk of the patient waking up mid-procedure, and researchers are attempting to develop mechanical constructs that can use smaller tools with greater precision than human hands. Noninvasive methods of examining the brain before an after a procedure also help healers target specific regions of the brain and plan their procedures ahead of time.

One of the most extreme forms of muggle brain surgery is the hemispherectomy, where nearly half of the patient’s brain can be removed. This is most often done in response to diseases that will spread to take up more of the brain over time if the infected portions are not removed. These procedures are most common in young children, such as those with specific types of epilepsy, because remaining parts of the brain can help compensate for what was removed. 

The conditions treated by brain surgeries include epilepsy, cancer, and trauma caused by blunt force. 

The pain induced by brain surgery is relatively minor. The type of anesthetic the patient receives varies with the type of surgery being performed. Many surgeries involve the person being put under a strong anesthetic. Other times, a patient might need to be awake for the procedure. The brain, despite being made of nerves, cannot feal touch. As such, a mild anesthetic can be applied to the tissues of the head, and part of the scull removed, so that the person is awake for the surgery. This is occasionally necessary where the healers need to deal with particularly vital areas, as it allows them to see what the brain is doing in real time. Depending on the type of procedure, a patient might feel verry little pain; in most cases, certainly less than they would have if it was left untreated!


	13. April 14, 2001

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Stardust asks; **When I have tried to travel in the muggle world, I typically get muggle-born friends to help me. Even still, many of their directions don’t make sense. Can you give me an overview of the basics of muggle travel? >**_

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

_Stardust asks; **When I have tried to travel in the muggle world, I typically get muggle-born friends to help me. Even still, many of their directions don’t make sense. Can you give me an overview of the basics of muggle travel? >**_ ****

**Common methods of non-magical travel;**

**The bus- think the Knight Bus. A large vehicle of metal that rolls on wheels, and carries a large numbere of people. Note, some key differences from wixen busses do exist. Non-magical busses have government regulated safety standards, wich the Knight Bus would not meet (all seeting, for example, must be bolted down). Busses also follow prescribed routes; a wixen traveling by bus should make sure they posess a map of the route and know wich stops they need to get off at and the timing of the bus. Fare is typically one “pound” (non-magical currency denomination).**

**The Underground- A system of trains that run underground in London and some surrounding areas. As with the coach, it is important to know what stops you will need, as the underground likewise follows a prescribed schedule and route. Fare is typically between two and three pounds.**

**Railway- train travel between cities. Think Hogwarts Expresss- King’s Cross, where Express leaves, is a non-magical railway station, with access to the non-magical side through a specific arch.**

**Coach- busses that travel long distances, such as between cities or regions.**

**Car-the most common non-magical transport. A metal contraption owned by many non-magical families and individuals for the purpose of personal transportation. To “drive” (control the direction and speed) of one, a person must have a liscense from the non-magical government.**

**Cab-a car that can be hired for a single trip. A wixen who rides a cab will inform the “driver” (non-magical person in control of the cab) of their destination, and the driver will transport them for a small fee.**

**Motorbike- a smaller device than a car, these devices have two wheels on which the rider balances. Much like a broom, the rider is open to the air, and no more than two people can ride at a time.**

**Bicycle- a simple contraption of wheels and metal. The rider will move levers in a circular fassion with their feet, and this rotates wheels, propelling the rider forwards. In addition to their use as transport, bycicles are also commonly ridden for fun by children, similar to a broom.**

**Airoplanes- these are large metal constructions capable of flight. Although they come in many forms, the most common commercial planes can seet several hundred people, and cary them across oceans in less than a day. Be aware, however, many non-magical countries have requirements for documentation before you are allowed to leave an aeroplane, so ensure all your paperwork is in order before attempting this method of travel.**

**When it comes to traveling in the muggle world, the best advice is this; if you become confused or lost, ask for help. Most non-magical people are more than happy to help if you tell them you are lost. Generally, finding a person in uniform or working in a shop will get you the best results. Be sure when you do not to stumble over the SOS, and you should do fine!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so this is a special bonus chapter to celebrate me finishing the second story in the All the People Who Would Have Been Better Guardians For Harry series. You can head over and read the first chapter now if you like. I'll post one more article on Saturday, and then Muggle Movements goes on Hiatus untill the other story is posted all the way (wich should take about six months), assuming I dont get another story in that series wrapped up sooner, in wich case, that thrid story would be the next thing up. See you all on Saturday!


	14. 28 April 2001

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _AllHail asks; **I hear that Muggles are capable of curing or producing items that assist deaf people. How is it possible for deaf men to hear without transfiguring the ear (which is a feat done only by the best of healers) or drinking a potion? How do Muggle instruments do that?**_

**Muggle Movements  
by Isa Stevens **

_AllHail asks; **I hear that Muggles are capable of curing or producing items that assist deaf people. How is it possible for deaf men to hear without transfiguring the ear (which is a feat done only by the best of healers) or drinking a potion? How do Muggle instruments do that?**_

There are many methods non-magicals have available to treat deafness, some of which can be directly compared to wixen methods, and others that have no true comparison.

Some forms of hearing loss can be easily treated with minor procedures. For example, I know a muggleborn who, when she was a child, dealt with occasional hearing loss in the right ear. This was treated at home by dropping into the ear a potion that dissolved the obstruction every few weeks. When this was not sufficient to clear the obstruction, the healer had a device that would spray pressurized water into the ear. By moving the outer structures of the ear about and with careful aim, the obstruction could be cleared. Many types of minor hearing loss can be cleared with easy procedures.

Some more serious kinds of deafness can be treated with more serious surgical procedures. For example, if the bones of the ear have abnormalities, a surgeon may be able to alter the abnormality by reshaping the problem area. A rather common example is the act of “putting tubes in the ear”. This procedure involves placing tiny tubes in the ear to create a pathway for liquids that build up and cause hearing loss to drain. Most often, this procedure is done for children that face regular ear ailments. 

An external device that can treat hearing loss is the hearing aid. This is a device placed in the ear, that essentially takes in sound, and adjusts the sound to fit the range that the person can hear. For example, if a person has trouble hearing quieter sounds, but can hear louder noises, might have hearing aids that make things sound louder to their ear. These could be compared to enchanted children’s toys that take in noises and emit an altered version; simply targeted to take advantage of what noises the patient can still hear. 

The most intriguing of muggle solutions, however, is the cochlear implant. This is for cases where little hearing remains in the ear, and surgical means are not preferred for one reason or another. This device consists of an external part, and an implant within the scull. Much like a hearing aid, the external component takes in sounds and sends out modified ones; however, they are not sent to the ear, but to the metal device implanted in the head. This device then directly stimulates the nerves of the ear, essentially tricking them to believe the ear is functioning normally and hearing the sounds the external component is hearing. These implants are generally more effective in small children or adults who had hearing, but lost it. 

Beyond these medical treatments, muggles also have a variety of societal solutions to the problem of hearing loss. For example, they have developed a series of hand signals that can substitute for words to allow deaf and mute people to communicate. Deaf persons may also learn to “read lips”, by which they can deduce what people are saying by watching the movement of the mouth. While none of these solutions to deafness are perfect, they have allowed the non-magical hearing impaired to improve their quality of life, and be an active part of society despite disability.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Sorry this was a week late, but here you go! Just to remind you, I'm putting this story on hiatus untill the second story in All the People Who Would Have Been Better Guardians For Harry is up all the way.
> 
> Happy Holidays!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> Started writing this for fun. Considering doing a sci-fi version too about... well, still figuring out how to skin that one. 
> 
> I like explaining seemingly simple things we take for granted, it's something I do in my diary for fun. Figured it would be a good exercise to practice my use of perspective. 
> 
> It would really help if you could put ideas for article topics in the comments! Literally, you could just pick a random object in the room or something and throw it there. 
> 
> I plan on posting this every two weeks, unless one of my other stories gets finished, in which case this will go on hiatus and resume once the other story is done.
> 
> Stay safe and healthy!


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